Surfer revived after big Pipeline wipeout

January 7, 2012 |Surfing

A surfer has been revived by the North Shore lifeguards after a big wipeout in Banzai Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii. The Floridian surfer from Miami paddled out on a 7'6" Malibu, in challenging Pipeline conditions and didn't handle the power of the local surf break.

"The waves just pounded him," Kaleihao Crabbe told the Honolulu Star Advertiser. "He was blue and he wasn't breathing when they pulled him up on the beach. This type of stuff is completely preventable. Hawaii and its ocean is not a water park. It's a life or death situation out there."

The anonymous surfer was found underwater with the leash attached to his foot. He is recovering at the Queen's Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition.

Crabbe says the other surfer was sucked over the falls and hit the reef. Gavin Sutherland, a local lifeguard, vigorously pump the victim's chest to force water out of his lungs. Fortunately, the surfer was quickly moved to the beach where CPR was performed.

Paramedic dispatch reports said the man had an injury to the back of his head, which probably occurred after hitting the Pipeline reef. Surfing in extreme Pipe conditions is very dangerous.